Hello Poudre River Lovers! Thank you for your support! We’re in the heat of summer and in the heat of battle to Save The Poudre. First, we filed suit against the Larimer County Commissioners and the City of Thornton for giving a 1041 permit to the Thornton Pipeline. We’re not thrilled to have to sue the Larimer County Commissioners, but our organization is committed to sound science and logic, and Thornton’s pipeline is a ridiculous idea. Further, almost 100% of Larimer County residents oppose the Thornton Pipeline, as evidenced by the hundreds of comments inserted into the permitting record. Although we are not happy to file the lawsuit, we are proud to support the people of Larimer County. Throughout the permitting process, we argued that Thornton should “use the Poudre River as the conveyance” for the water rather than put it in a pipeline. Our lawsuit takes it to the wall in state district court in Larimer County. Second, our lawsuit against the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) and the former Larimer County Commissioners (who gave NISP a permit back in 2020) is now in the Colorado State Court of Appeals in Denver. NISP refuses to consider running their water down the Poudre River, and instead – like Thornton – wants to put the water in a huge pipeline north of Fort Collins. This is, of course, also ridiculous and insane. Using the Poudre River as conveyance for water is cheaper, faster, easier, and more ecologically healthy than draining the water out of the Poudre and putting it in a pipeline. We’re going to fight in state court as long as we can, no matter the outcome, because it’s the right thing to do. We may have to go to the Colorado Supreme Court to fight this battle, so stay tuned. Third, in January we filed the big lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for giving a permit to NISP. Once again, the health of the Poudre River was ignored in this permit decision that we believe violates the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act. And again in the federal lawsuit, we argued that NISP should use the Poudre River as the conveyance for the water, instead of putting that water in a huge, expensive, and environmentally destructive pipeline north of Fort Collins through private neighborhoods. Finally, NISP still needs a permit from the City of Fort Collins to build a massive pipeline across City Natural Areas. This permit process won’t start until the Fall of 2024, but we will be thick in the fight to not only protect the Poudre River, but also protect the City’s Natural Areas that all citizens bought and paid for. Our beloved Natural Areas in Fort Collins and Larimer County SHOULD NOT be sacrifice zones for river destruction and sprawl in Weld County which is where the pipeline would take most of the water. 2024 is the 20th year of this fight which could go on for a few more years in…
Save The Poudre: Patagonia Matching Grant, $10,000!
Hi Poudre River Lovers!
We have good news. Our wonderful partners at Patagonia, the outdoor gear/apparel company, will match your donation to Save The Poudre, up to $10,000, starting today through the end of 2019.
The donation link is here:
https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/grantees/save-the-poudre-poudre-waterkeeper/donate/
Patagonia will securely process your donation and then transfer the money to Save The Poudre.
We are especially excited to partner with Patagonia in this matching grant campaign because they are one of the leading voices on the planet for fighting dams and protecting rivers. Patagonia is also one of our leading funders!
What did Save The Poudre accomplish in 2019?
- Helped stop the Thornton Pipeline dead in its tracks!
- Intervened in state district court against the City of Thornton to defend the Larimer County Commissioners against Thornton’s lawsuit.
- Saw through the construction of the amazing Poudre River Whitewater Park, a project that we initiated back in 2010!
- Filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Colorado to stop the proposed Windy Gap Water Project in Colorado.
- Intervened with the Larimer County permitting process against the Northern Integrated Supply Project (“NISP”), the massive proposed dam project we’ve been fighting for 17 years.
- Intervened with the State of Colorado permitting project against NISP.
- Filed more comments with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers against NISP.
- Kept the Poudre River’s voice alive to the public, in the media, and throughout the northern Colorado region.
- And more!
When you donate to Save The Poudre, we get right to work! Patagonia Action Works is a wonderful partner putting your money into action.
Please donate here through Patagonia Action Works and help us protect this amazing river!
The donation link is here:
https://www.patagonia.com/actionworks/grantees/save-the-poudre-poudre-waterkeeper/donate/
Thank you for your support!
Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Poudre.